Why You Should Never be a Sports Team Hater

"The fool doth think he is wise,
but the wise man knows
himself to be a fool."

-William Shakespeare


2004 was the year the Red Sox won the World Series.  I was also a Yankee fan.  With those first two sentences you can probably deduce (or induce?  I never knew the difference) that I was not a happy camper.  I wasn't. But when the World Series was over I actually was, very happy.   To get a clear picture of this story let's take a little trip back to 2004 shall we?

The Red Sox beat my Yankees in the ALCS and I was bummed.  Like most Yankee fans I refused to watch the World Series between the Sox and the Cards.  I bet this occurs often in sports - when a rival team advances, the beaten team's fans refuse to watch any further.  Now I rarely miss the fall-classic and being a big baseball fan I tore myself away from my busy day of turning oxygen into carbon dioxide and tuned in to the game. 

Now here's where it gets interesting. 

In 2004 I was 40 years old and I realized two things.  1. You're never too old to mature and 2. I need to stop hating sports teams - I'm missing out on a lot of good sports.

Seems that while watching the Sox/Cards series I developed a new appreciation for not only baseball, but for The Red Sox and sports in general.  The Red Sox won that series using many weapons - Power, speed, defense, pitching, strategy and tactics.  These are all the things that a true baseball fan appreciates and enjoys watching.  I really admired the Sox during that series.  This was an eye-opener for me.  I needed to change and I needed to change now!  No more hating.  No more not-watching because of the team that is playing.  I promised myself when I watched sports, it would be for the game itself - that's it!

After 2004 I really started to grow as a sports-fan (that sounded even stupider after I typed it).  I'm proud to say I'm probably the world's only Islander and Ranger fan (despite what my Ranger fan friends say and of course my wife who is a huge Islander fan).  I really don't have any strong allegiance to a team any more.  Honestly when it comes to baseball or hockey, I can watch any game, any time.

So, thank you Boston Red Sox (that was hard to say), for making me see the light!!

Thanks for reading
-Tom